


The Ins-And-Outs Of Hiding Your Adopted Alien Son

by Ellie_Elizabeth



Series: To The Moon And Back [3]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Alien Peter Parker, F/M, Fluff, Irondad, Kid Peter Parker, Mom Pepper Potts, Post-Iron Man 1, Post-Iron Man 2, Pre-Iron Man 2, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, dad tony stark, father Tony Stark, spiderson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2019-11-18 05:36:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18114359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellie_Elizabeth/pseuds/Ellie_Elizabeth
Summary: Tony Stark quickly discovered that hiding an alien child in your basement may be a lot harder than it originally seems.Especially when your friends are REALLY nosy.orFive times someone almost found out about Peter, and one time somebody did.





	1. Pepper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You… cleaned?” Pepper asked, even more confused than when she had first arrived. “Tony what on earth is going on here?”
> 
> “Surprise!” Tony said weakly, that fake grin plastered back on his face. “I thought I’d get in a little spring clean. I’m not sure if you noticed, but this place was kind of a landfill.”

**1.**

Pepper Potts had seen a lot of strange things throughout her life. If not from working with the one and only Tony Stark, then from the antics his alter ego Iron Man got up too. She’s found him stuck in more places than she could count, riddled with bullet holes from missions gone astray, and even so drunk that he could barely stand up straight.

But finding her boss trying to push a futon down a flight of stairs was definitely was one of the weirdest things she ever found.

The last time she had seen him, the man had been obsessing over some random heat spike in Malibu. And as concerning as that was, the sight of him struggling to fit a couch down the small entrance way while simultaneously yelling at Jarvis was somehow ten times worse.

“Tony?”, she called over to the man, who instantly perked up at her voice. “Is everything… ok?”

“Pepper”, he yelled, his voice raising a few octaves. “W-What are you doing here”

Tony quickly positioned himself in almost a defensive stand in front of the futon, slightly leaning against it whilst trying to act casual. Almost as if he was trying to block something from getting in, or someone from getting out. This instantly set Pepper on edge because the last time he had tried to hide something from her, Iron Man had been born.

“I came to see how you were doing”, Pepper said cautiously, slowly approaching the man. “You were kind of out of it the last time I saw you, I just wanted to make sure that everything was ok now”

Tony had put on a fake smile, trying to convince Pepper that everything about this situation was completely normal. “Everything’s great”, he told her as Pepper raised an eyebrow at him. “I just… thought this couch would look better in the lab”

Pepper, still not convinced, continued to question him. “Mhm”, she hummed. “You mean the lab where things often explode and catch on fire? You want your stupidly expensive white sofa down there?”

From the fear on Tony’s face, she knew that she was finally getting somewhere with him. He may have been an incredible liar, but Pepper had learned to look past all his bullshit after her first few days of working with him. Since then she’s been able to read him like a book, no matter what situation he had found himself in.

The sound of a crash resounded from down the lab, and the panic on Tony’s face only grew bigger. He must have realized that his lie was slowly falling apart before his eyes and there was nothing he could do about it. “Dum-E” he called down the stairs. “That better not have been expensive”

There was obviously no respond, but Jarvis decided at that moment to speak up. “Sir I can assure you the object that was knock over was not expensive. It was just a cereal bowl. However now the lab floor is covered in milk and I would suggest you mop it up as quickly as possible because it could be a health or safety issue to those using and around the lab”

Pepper could hear the sigh of relief that left Tony’s mouth, but that notion only made her more suspicious. “I thought you didn’t eat in the lab anymore”, she stated. “Only coffee now or whatever stupid rule you made up”

Throughout the entire conversation, Tony had managed to shimmy the couch out from the stairway way, and that had created a small gap between the wall and the futon. The perfect size for someone to slide through. “What can I say Pep”, he responded. “Sometimes a man gets hungry”

“Oh for god sake”, Pepper scuffed, as she pushed past Tony and right through the small opening of the futon. She could hear Tony yelling at her in protest, but she continued to carefully run down the stairs; her heels clicking on each step. Upon making it to the door of the lab she quickly typed in her passcode and hit enter right as Tony made it to the bottom of the steps.

“Pepper wait”, he yelled, but she didn’t listen and walked right into the lab. However, to her surprise, nothing seemed wrong. Expect for one shattered cereal bowl on the floor, the lab was practically spotless. All the of counters were cleared of tools and blue prints, and it looked like Tony had actually swept for the first time in probably five years.

Tony arrived behind her and was frantically looking around like he had something to hide, but there was nothing here that would have warranted that reaction. Nothing here set off any alarm bells in Peppers head, except for maybe the fact that Tony had willingly cleaned his lab, which was miracle in and of itself.

“You… cleaned?”, Pepper asked, even more confused than when she had first arrived. “Tony what on earth is going on here?”

“Surprise”, Tony said weakly, that fake grin plastered back on his face. “I thought I’d get in a little spring clean. I’m not sure if you noticed, but this place was kind of a landfill”

“Oh I noticed”, she responded, still in shock at the sight in front of her. “I’m just in awh that you would actually do something like this willingly”

She also noticed that he had put up a small curtain in the back of the lab, probably hiding a pile of garbage that he had yet to take out yet. It also smelt like Pop-Tarts, which was probably courtesy of new toaster that sat adjacent to Tony’s old coffee pot.

“Pop-Tarts?”, Pepper asked. “Really Tony?”

All Tony could do was shrug in response as Pepper picked up the brightly colored box of strawberry Pop-Tarts. Unbeknownst to her, an empty box of blueberry ones sat in the wastebasket only a few feet to her left; covering up multiple candy wrappers and empty bags of chips.

“Cleaning takes a lot out of me”, Tony laughed nervously. “Besides, it’s Saturday, and thats cheat day”

Pepper squinted at him. “Tony, it’s Monday”, she told him. “How long have you been down here”

Tony just sighed. “Too long”, he responded, finally letting how tired he truly was show. “Now, to what do I owe this surprise visit. You got more paperwork or something for me to fill out?”  

“Indeed I do”, Pepper told him, pulling a large stack of papers from her bag. “Nothing crazy, just some stuff corporate wants you to look over and fill out”

Tony groaned as he took the papers from Peppers outstretched hand, and started flipping through them. “It’s always something isn’t it”, he looked over and gave her a cheeky smile. “You never come over here just to see me”

“Maybe”, Pepper said, carefully taking the papers from Tony’s hand and placing them on the counter. “If you weren’t always up to something weird or potentially life threatening, I would want to come over more”

Tony looked away from her, a playful smirk on his face. “Well I wouldn’t want to take up too much of your time”, he told her, realizing he should probably get her out of this lab. “I know that you’re always so horribly busy”

“Of definitely”, she laughed, making her way towards the door. “I’ll come by to pick those up on Wednesday, and they better be done and ready for me to take to corporate. I won’t be so kind and help you like last time”

Tony waved goodbye to her as she walked back up the stairs, and as soon as she disappeared from view he was finally able to breathe normally again. “Jarvis, is she gone”, he quietly asked after a minute or so had passed.

“Yes Sir, Ms. Potts has left the building”, Jarvis’s voice rang out through the lab.

“Ok you can come out now”, Tony called over to the curtain in the corner of the lab. At first there was only a little rustling, but then the small figure of a boy emerged from behind the sheet. He was wearing one of Tony’s old band t-shirts that was way to big for him, and a pair of old sweatpants that had shrunk in the wash. His brown hair was tousled slightly, and his big, brown eyes were full of fear.

“I’m sorry kiddo”, Tony said. “I didn’t know she was coming over today, or I would have told you”

“Bad?”, Peter asked, slowly walking towards Tony.

“No Pete”, he told the scared little boy. “She’s a friend of mine, I promise she’s not bad”

Peter nodded, and his eyes then landed on the broken bowl in the middle of the floor. “I’m sorry about the bowl”, he whispered, pointing the mess on the floor. “It alerted the lady”

“It’s fine Peter, I’m not angry”, Tony told him, trying to make sure his voice sounded genuine. He could remember how angry his own father used to get whenever he would break something or mess one of his projects up, and he had decided long ago he would never be like his father.

Peter seemed content with his answer, and while Tony went back to his seemingly impossible task of moving the futon down the steps, he walked over to the counter and grabbed the half empty box of Pop-Tarts.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Up next:** Rhodey


	2. Rhodey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony had made his way to the couch, and was carefully eyeing both the coloring book and crayons that were still in Rhodey’s hand. “So these yours”, Rhodey asked, reaching his hand away as Tony made a half hearted attempt at grabbing the box. “Because let me tell you, I never pegged you as the princess type”
> 
> “Oh shut up”, Tony replied, successfully snatching the box from Rhodey’s grasp . “It was the only one left, I didn’t have many choices”

**2.**

James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes had dealt with a lot crap at the hands of Tony Stark.

His antics could date all the way back to their freshman year at MIT, when Rhodey had walked into his dorm room and found fifteen year old Tony unpacking his bags into the large wooden dressers that sat adjacent to the two identical loft beds; freedom gleaming in his eyes. He had looked so small at the time, and Rhodey had decided that from there on out he would do anything to protect the teen. And that was one promise he still kept to this day.

Tony wasn’t fifteen anymore and college was a distant memory for the both of them, but that didn’t mean that Tony still didn’t get up to trouble on the daily. Everyday it was something new, a new suit, a new invention, a new…. bed?

When Rhodey arrived to Tony’s Malibu mansion on that particular day in March, he was greeted by the sight of a ginormous box sitting on the front porch. From the writing on the side, he was able to make out that it was some soft of self-assembly twin bed and matching nightstand from the nearest department store. There was also a smaller, additional box that was neatly placed on top of the bigger that had the shipping receipt taped onto it's front.

It wouldn’t have been too shocking, considering that Tony ordered random shit all the time, but according to the receipt he had also ordered it with same day delivery. Why Tony would be in urgent need of a brand new twin bed was beyond Rhodey, so he just decided to try and ignore it and walk into the house through the mansions huge double doors.

As he thought about it more, Rhodey could recall that Pepper had mention that Tony had been acting strange recently. Something about a heatwave and… a futon in the basement? She had called him while he was in the bottom level of the air-base so the reception had been spotty, but that’s what he swears she said. It had been a good week since he’d last seen best friend, and he could only hope that Tony hadn’t lost his mind in that short amount of time.

Even though he wouldn’t admit it, he still worried about Tony on the daily; especially with Iron Man now in the picture. When he had been kidnapped in Afghanistan, Rhodey was positive he would never be able to forgive himself for not protecting him better. It didn’t matter that Tony wasn’t a kid anymore, he had made a promise and then failed to follow through with it.

But then Tony had come back, and everything changed.

The mansion didn’t look any different from the last time he had been there, same white walls, same white couch, same white counters; god, he didn’t know how Tony could stand it all. No other large or obnoxious boxes adorned the inside of the house, except for one family sized snack pack of chips that sat unopened on the counter.

“Tony?”, Rhodey called into the large, empty house. “Tony you here?”

He walked into the living room and sat down on one of the many couches that filled the large area. He noticed that one was missing, and the convo he had with Pepper about the futon in the basement quickly ran through his head. Maybe he hadn’t imagined that after all. Trying to put it out of his mind he reached down to pick up the television remote, and did a double take when he saw what it was sitting under it.

Why on earth would Tony have a Disney Princess coloring booking sitting on his living room coffee table? Upon further inspection he also found a used box of crayons sitting on one of the side tables, which did not help his already growing concern. Maybe Pepper was right after all, maybe Tony really was losing his mind.

Tony picked that exact moment to run up the lab steps, instantly gaining Rhodey’s attention, and he watched as his friends eye widened in fear when he saw Rhodey sitting in his living room. To add fire to the flame, the box of crayons was also still clutched in his hand as he looked at Tony with a bemused expression.

“Hey Tones”, he said, as Tony cautiously approached the couch. “I see you’ve been pretty busy this past week. By the way your package arrived, it’s sitting on the front porch”

“Good to see you too Honey Bear”, Tony respond, nervously laughing a little. “I- I didn’t know you would be over so early, I would’ve put together a… fruit platter or something”

Rhodey couldn’t help but snort at Tony’s comment. “And by that you mean you would quickly rush to the nearest grocery store to buy the biggest one they sell”, he joked. “But I did tell you I was coming over today at eleven, we even talked about it last night on the phone. Remember?”

Tony looked confused for a second before responding. “It’s eleven already?”

All Rhodey could do was roll his eyes. “I seriously hope you’re joking”

Tony had made his way to the couch, and was carefully eyeing both the coloring book and crayons that were still in Rhodey’s hand. “So these yours”, Rhodey asked, reaching his hand away as Tony made a half hearted attempt at grabbing the box. “Because let me tell you, I never pegged you as the princess type”

“Oh shut up”, Tony replied, successfully snatching the box from Rhodey’s grasp . “It was the only one left, I didn’t have many choices”

“Mhm”, Rhodey hummed, flipping through the book, only to find that none of the pages had actually been colored on. “And why exactly did you need a princess coloring book? Or a brand new twin bed for that matter?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, something inside Rhodey's head seemed to click; and the slight panic that spread across Tony’s face did not help his case. “Oh my god Tony you didn’t”, he gasped. “Please don’t tell me this has anything to do with a kid”

“No no no no no” Tony repeated, whilst starting to panic even more. “No no Rhodey that’s not it I swear”

Rhodey was suddenly remembering all the times he had watched Tony get drunk off his ass and then wander away with some pretty lady attached to his arm. He knew his friend was always careful and safe, but accidents were always possible and he was also blackout drunk half the time. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had come forward saying they were pregnant with someone’s kid, but it was the first time Tony was buying beds and coloring books.

“Then why the bed, and the coloring book?” Rhodey practically yelled, also starting to panic. “Is this why you’ve been acting so strange all of a sudden? If it is I promise we can get the best lawyers and deal with this as quietly as possible so the media doesn’t get a hold of it; I just wish you would have told me or Pepper sooner-”

“ **I don’t have a child** ”, Tony yelled, instantly shutting Rhodey up. “There is no child, and there never has been a child. I bought the coloring book because Pepper told me it was a good way to calm anxiety, and the place I order furniture from sent me a twin bed instead of the new desk I ordered and I’m waiting for it to get picked back up”

The room went deathly silent for a moment, before Rhodey mustered enough courage to speak again. “Oh”, he whispered, looking back down at the book. “I guess that makes a lot more sense than you having a secret kid”

Surprisingly, Tony started laughing at Rhodey's comment. “Rhodey you know I can barely take care of myself”, he told him. “Let alone a living child”

“Ok ok”, Rhodey responded. “You’re right, I'm sorry. I guess I did kind of jump to conclusion there”

At that moment Rhodey’s phone buzzed, and he looked down to find a message from one of his higher ups asking him to come back to base. “Duty calls?”, Tony asked, recognizing the facial expression that usually followed a text from his officer.

“Yeah, sorry Tones”, he apologized. “I’m going to have to cut this date short, they need me down at the base”

“I’m so heartbroken Honey Bear”, Tony grinned, happy they were finally off the subject of the crayons and bed. “I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to go on”

“I think you’ll manage”, Rhodey teased, walking towards the mansions exit. “Enjoy your princesses and crayons”

Rhodey didn’t turn around to see the middle finger that Tony held up in his direction, but he knew he was doing it anyway. As he walked through the exit and found himself face to face with the twin bed once again, he almost felt kind of bad over the way he had reacted. If Tony did ever actually have a kid, Rhodey was positive he would be the first to know, and he would personally murder him if he wasn't. 

As soon as Rhodey disappeared from view, Tony grabbed both the box of crayons and book from the living room and brought them down to the lab. It hadn’t changed much since when Pepper had come over, the broken bowl was now gone and the futon sat happily in the back corner, but other than that nothing else had moved an inch.

Except for maybe the alien child, who currently occupied the couch and was entranced by the cartoon show that played on a small TV across from it. A bag of carrots sat in his lap, and every once and a while he would reach down and eat one before redirecting all his attention back towards the television.

“That stuff will rot your brain”, Tony joked as he walked back into the lab, making sure to lock the door behind him. “Then it’ll get all goppy and fall out your ears”

“Ew”, Peter grimaced, his facing contorting into a look of disgust. “That’s gross”

“Yes it is”, Tony said, plopping down onto the couch next to him and stealing a carrot stick. “Glad to see you picked a healthy option for once, I thought I was going to have to start weaning you off the Pop-Tarts. Those will also rot your brain.”

“No no no”, Peter cried, suddenly looking very distraught. “I like those. I’ll eat the carrots, I promise!”

Tony almost felt bad for freaking the kid out, but he also looked so cute when he was concerned. “Relax Pete”, he grinned at the boy. “I’m not taking the Pop-Tarts away anytime soon. They can stay in full stock as long as eat some veggies every once and a while”

Peter didn’t look totally convinced, and squinted his eyes slightly as he looked up at Tony. “Promise?”, he asked.

“Promise”, Tony responded, without a second of hesitation.

Tony’s response seemed to satisfy Peter, because he diverted all his attention back towards the TV screen as Tony playfully ruffled his curls. The stupidly large box still sat on his front porch, and Tony knew that sooner or later he would have to bring it down to the lab so that they could assemble it (and so Peter wouldn’t have to sleep on the couch for once), but right now he just wanted to enjoy this moment with his alien kid.

Because _(if only for a split second)_ it reminded him of MIT when Rhodey would force him down from his bunk bed, and together they would watch shit cartoons and eat cheap food from the vending machine. It was familiar, and no matter how much the world changed around him, he could still hold onto that if nothing else.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Up next:** Happy


	3. Happy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re early”, Tony grumbled, obviously not stoked at his unexpected arrival. 
> 
> “Yeah well some of us don’t like to be late all the time”, Happy replied, making Tony roll his eyes. “Now come on, the faster we look over these tapes the faster I’ll get out of your hair”

**3.**

“What’s it do”, a timid voice asked Tony as he worked on the new updates to his Iron Man suit.

It was mark something-or-another, and he really wanted to finish it before the next Stark Expo that was coming up in only a few weeks. However, the new mechanics he had been trying to add kept back firing, and he was getting increasingly frustrated with it as the days went by. At this point he might just need to scrap it and start over with a whole new suit.

He looked down to see Peter staring up at him with wide eyes, the sparks from the welding equipment making stars in his pupils. The boy had shown a great interest in Tony’s work since he’d arrived, and had even helped him in the lab on a few separate occasions. Despite having no recollection of his previous academic knowledge, the boy was incredible smart and had already tested out of both second and third grade topics.

“It’s my suit”, Tony answered, flipping over his helmet. “I use it to help people”

Tony’s reply seemed to satisfy Peter as he pulled up a stool and opted to watch him work in silence. The two spent many days like this, Tony working on whatever project he had going at the moment and Peter either watching or scribbling pictures in his coloring books. A few math and science textbooks sat abandoned on the couch where Peter had previously been reading them and some Disney movie buzzed quietly in the background.

It was definitely more domestic than Tony was used to, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Ever since Peter had come (or more accurately, crashed) into his life, he had forced himself to buck up and become more responsible for both his and the kids sake.

“Did you finish your science?”, he asked mindlessly, trying to make casual conversation. “Because if that’s so I might just consider getting us some ice cream for dinner”

Peter face instantly lit up and he ran over to the couch to grab his book and notebook. “I did, I did”, he chanted, the introduction to physics book looking comically large in his small arms. “Look I did all the problems!”

The boys energy seemed to spike ten fold at the mention of ice cream, and all Tony could do was laughed as he quickly looked over the easy problems that Peter had finished with ease. “I’m proud of you buddy”, Tony told him, ruffling his unruly curls. “At this rate you might be able to move onto some more advanced physics by next month”

Peter face fell for a minute, before it resumed its former glee. “When I finish the harder physics then can I to go to real school?”, he asked. “Like on my movies?”

Tony paused for a minute, trying to figure out if Peter was kidding or not. “What do you mean kiddo?”, he asked the wide eyed boy. “Am I not a good enough teacher for you?”, he tried to joke.

Peter’s eyes quickly changed excited to horrified in a matter of one second, and Tony regretted what he had said almost instantly after it had come out of his mouth. “No no no”, Peter cried, dropping the text book onto the lab floor in the process. “You’re a great teacher, I promise! I promise! I was just wondering when I can go to a school like the kids in the movies go to, and make friends and go to slumber parties. I don’t want you to stop being my teacher though!”

Peter spit out his words so quickly that Tony was barely able to understand half of what he said. All he did know what that tears were starting to slowly spill out of the boys eyes as he frantically tried to convey what he had meant, all because Tony couldn’t keep his stupid mouth shut.

“Woah buddy calm down”, Tony told Peter, walking over to where he sat and folding his arms around The boys shoulders. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean it like that. I wouldn’t have said it if I’d know it would upset you.”

Even though he had started to calm down, Peter was still shaking in Tony’s arms as he tried to stop crying. “I want you to go to a real school eventually”, Tony continued. “But like I told you when you first got here, I need to figure a few things out before you can start going out into the world. I know it sucks right now but I promise that before you know it you’ll be making friends and going to sleepovers”

Peter was still pushed up against Tony’s torso, but that didn’t stop him from replying. “Thank you ‘Ony”, his muffled voice told him through the material of his shirt. “You’re my favorite teacher ever”

“And you’re my favorite student”, Tony replied, looking down fondly at Peter. He snuggled the boy closer to his chest and more probably would have been said, but his phone decided to go off right them and there; breaking up their little moment.

Tony looked down at the caller ID, only to find Happy’s grumpy face staring back up at him. He turned to Peter and put one finger up to his mouth, which signified that he needed to be quiet while he answered this call. Over the month the two had been together, they had almost developed their own form of sign language and unspoken communication.

“Hey Happy”, he answer nonchalantly, as Peter scurried over to turn down the volume on the TV. “What’s up?”

“Hi Tony”, Happy replied, the irritation in his voice very obvious. “I know I’m not technically your bodyguard anymore, but Pepper just sent me this email about some threats that were made towards you and the company a few days ago and I was wondering if it would be ok if I come over later to check your security cams and locks”

Tony audibly snorted, which made Peter look over at him with confusion. “Happy”, he started. “You do known I have one of the most advanced ai’s ever created living in my ceiling right? And not to mention all the top of the line metal suits that are just chilling in my basement. Trust me Happy, nobody’s getting in or out of this house without me knowing”  

Happy groaned, and Tony smiled at the fact that he was winning this argument. “Just humor me ok?”, he said. “I’ve already done double checks at Peppers apartment and reviewed all the security footage from the last three days at headquarters, so just give me some peace of mind and let me do this”

He knew couldn’t refuse him, because Happy was a skeptical guy and if he thought that Tony was hiding something from him he would stop and nothing to find out what. Ever since the close calls with both Pepper and Rhodey he’s been trying to keep people away from the house (and especially the lab), but that was proving to be much more difficult than he originally planned.   

He glanced over at Peter quickly before turning his full attention back to the phone. “Ok fine”, he replied, sneaking a quick glance at his watch. “How about two?”

“Sounds good”, Happy said, obviously relieved that Tony agreed. “See you then boss”

The distinct click off the calling ending filled his ears, and all Tony could do was put his phone down on the workbench table and rub at his temples. He wasn’t sure when his life had gotten so weird, or if it had ever been normal, but he was starting to believe that someone or something was out to get him at this point.

“Ok listen up kid”, he said, instantly gaining Peter’s attention. “I have a friend coming here in about four hours, and he’s a really good guy but he can also be really suspicious and nosy at times”

He gravitated over to the couch where Peter was listening to him intently. “So while I’m up there with him, I need you to promise me that you won’t make a peep”, he explained. “No broken bowls, no talking to Jarvis, and no Disney Movies. He doesn’t let go as easily as Rhodey or Pepper and the last thing I want to happen is for him to find out about you before we have everything settled.”

Peter nodded, as he curled his legs up to his chest. “No bowls, no Jarvis, and no movies”, he repeated, saying the words slowly almost as if he was trying to memorize them. “I can do that Tony, your friend will never know about me!”

Tony smiled and gave him a gently pat on the should. “That’s the spirit”, he told him. “Now we still do have a few hours until he gets here, come over here and I’ll show you how the repulsors on my suit works”

* * *

Approximately three and a half hours later, almost thirty minutes before Happy said he would show up, the mansions doorbell rang.

Tony and Peter had been in the middle of dissecting a repulsors, the various parts and schematics strown about the workbench and surrounding floors. Peter had been taking sloppy notes, scribbling barely legible words into every empty space that the notebook offered and trying to draw crud diagrams of what Tony had been showing him. The boy thirsted for knowledge and tried to obtain it in any way possible, so there was no way he would pass up the opportunity to learn everything he could about the Iron Man suits.

“What the hell Happy”, Tony grumbled, sliding the goggles over his eyes onto his forehead. “Can’t you be late for once in your life.”

Peter had closed his notebook and was quickly cleaning up all the tools and spare parts he had been using to try inspect the old gauntlet. Everything he owed was contained in one singular draw under the workbench, as to not raise suspicion to anyone who venture down into the lab, which made his clean up quick and easy. So before Tony could even think about heading for the door, the lab was spotless.

Just like they had practice multiple times before, Peter went to go hide in his own sectioned off part of the room, while Tony put all the lab into lockdown mode and went to go answer the door. It might have been a bit extreme, but after Pepper and Rhodey Tony refused to take any chances when it came to the small alien boy.

With a ruff he ran up the flight of stairs that lead to the ground level of his mansion and made his way over to the large double doors that adorned the main entrance hall. He stopped for only a second to catch his breath, before then pulling them opened and glaring at the grumpy looking man on the other side.

“You’re early”, Tony grumbled, obviously not stoked at his unexpected arrival. 

“Yeah well some of us don’t like to be late all the time”, Happy replied, making Tony roll his eyes. “Now come on, the faster we look over these tapes the faster I’ll get out of your hair”

Per Happy’s request, Tony had installed a separate surveillance in his home when he had first bought the mansion all those years ago. He had complained about it at first, but now he was thankful for it because it gave him an excuse to bypass the lab entrance and direct Happy in the opposite direction of Peter. Now as long as the kid didn’t make any loud noises or sudden appearance they should been completely in the clear.

Both Happy and Tony sat in that small, over cramped room for almost two hours; only leaving for various snacks and bathroom breaks. Happy insisted on going over almost all the footage from the past three days, and even some that predated the alleged threats that had been made. By the time they had gotten the thirtieth clip or so, Tony had nearly fallen asleep in one of the ridiculously comfy desk chairs that occupied the room and was considering calling Pepper to get him out of this situation.

“Tony”, Happy suddenly said, gaining his full attention. “There are some clips missing.”

“What?”, Tony questioned, sitting up and rubbing at his eyes. “That’s impossible, Jarvis records everything”

“Yeah well there’s almost an entire night of footage missing”, He informed Tony, continuing to click through the various files. “They seem to have been from around the middle of March, and there’s not even any sign that they were there. That whole night is just blank.”

Tony’s full attention was now directed on the man. “I’m sure it’s nothing Happy”, he said nervously, remember a certain incident that happened around the middle of March that involved both a swimming pool and a child. “That was nearly a month ago at this point, and you said these threats were only made like three days ago.”

“Yeah but it doesn’t stop it from being weird”, Happy replied, before looking up to address the ceiling. “Jarvis, do you know what happened to those files?”, he asked.

Tony’s heart skipped a beat, completely forgetting about his omnipresent friend.”I am sorry Mr. Hogan”, Jarvis responded, not sounding very sorry. “But I have no videos or files saved from that night. There is a high possibility I was down for repairs at that time, and I do not record any footage while offline.”

Tony let out a sigh of relief he hadn’t realized he had been holding, and silently thanked Jarvis for not outing him. He had completely forget that after that night he had made sure Jarvis deleted any and all footage that involved Peter or the mention of Peter, as to not have any evidence that the boy even existed. Then, without thinking, he had let Happy waltz right into his security office and notice all the missing blanks without a viable excuse as to why they were there.

How he had been able to keep Peter a secret for as long as he had, was a mystery in and of itself.

Happy didn’t seem satisfied with Jarvis’s answer, but thankfully let it go. “Other than those missing blanks, there is no suspicious activity on any of your tapes”, he replied, sounding almost defeated. “You’re in the clear.”

“I could have told you that”, Tony replied, smirking slightly. “Or you could have just asked Jarvis the minute you walked in and gotten a straight answer.”

Happy sighed, making his way towards to exit of the small room. “Well sorry for caring for your wellbeing”, he retorted, making Tony laugh. “I’ll call you if I get any more updates on the threats.”

Without anymore words being exchanged between the pair, Tony quickly lead Happy to the door and nearly slid to the ground in exhaustion when he finally left. That was three times too many that someone had almost found out about Peter, and if this kept up Tony was going to have a literal heart attack from the stress it was causing him.

He needed to learn how to forge fake documents, and fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Up next:** Natasha


	4. Natasha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I wasn’t expecting visitors.” Tony addressed her, walking over to the pantry and grabbing out a box of crackers. “Mostly because Jarvis is suppose to alert me whenever someone enters this house. How did you get in here?”
> 
> Natasha took a long sip of her drink before responding. “I’m a spy Tony.” She said, as though that explained everything. “I have my ways.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I haven't seen Iron Man 2 in like, three years, so sorry if some of this info is wrong! 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!

**4.**

“I’m sorry ‘Ony”, Peter sniffled, as the plastic Iron Man helmet sat placed him lap. 

I’m so so so sorry”

Tony ran his hands through his messy hair, trying not to wince when he accidentally touched one of the cuts that’s adorned his head. Peter was full on crying now and he was finding it increasingly difficult to be mad at the boy.

“Peter”, he started, trying to keep his voice steady. “Do you realize how bad this was? Do you realize what this could have **cost** us.” He was trying not to yell at this point, but his frustration was starting to get the better of him.

The Stark Expo had been a complete and utter **mess** . He knew that with Peter around he should have canceled it, but it was the first Expo since he had become Iron Man and the selfish part of him _really_ wanted to show off. With the government breathing down his neck and the people hailing him as some sort of hero, he wanted to make a big thing out of it. Oh boy was he regretting that now.

Everything had been going fine (well not exactly _fine,_ Rhodey was still pissed at him and Pepper had damn near quit), but then Justin Hammer had decided to attack the Expo and everything had gone to hell. His new assistant also turned out to a former Russian spy who had run off with his head of security to try and put an end to robots invasion and catch whoever was responsible, and him and Rhodey had ended up blasting drones heads off in some weird botanical garden. All around, it was a strange night for everyone involved.

But then, to put the cherry on the top of the cake, Jarvis had alerted Tony that Peter had snuck out of the house and was currently wandering around the Expo wearing an Iron Man mask.

Fueled by pure panic, he had managed to track down the boy and found him about 0.2 seconds away from being blasted into the next century by a Hammer Drone. Just like Jarvis had said, he had one of those cheap Iron Man helmets over his head and the fake blaster on his hand was pointed up towards the bot. Tony managed to intervene just in time to destroy the drone and quickly gathered Peter in his arms before flying them both off to a secure location.

“What would I have done if someone would have found you?”, he asked Peter, the image of Peter in front of that drone playing on repeat in his head. “Or would if you had gotten hurt? What would I have done then?”

Peter’s eyes were red from crying as he clutched the helmet closer to his chest. “I just wanted to see you in the suit”, he whimpered, tear staining his cheeks. “I didn’t know the bad man was going to come.”

Tony huffed, the adrenaline from early still coursing through his body. “Peter.” He started, trying to figure out where to go with his sentence before instead giving up. “Just… go get ready for bed, we’ll talk about this more in the morning.”

He hated sending Peter off to bed while he was still so upset, but he couldn’t risk getting any angrier at the boy tonight. He was hoping a good night's sleep would refresh both of their minds and allow them to talk this over more maturely the next day; this time with less screaming and more explanations. It was the opposite of what Howard Stark would have done, which was basically Tony whole plan when it came to parenting up until this point.

Tony made sure Peter had gotten on his pajamas and was safely tucked in his newly assembled bed, before ascending the lab stairs and making his way towards the kitchen. He had barely eaten anything since that morning and decided he should probably stop chiding Peter over his food habits, since at least he remembered to get food when he needed it.

When he rounded the corner of the living room and entered the extravagant kitchen, the last thing he ever expected to see was a redheaded, Russian spy sitting at his breakfast bar. But that’s the sight he was greeted with anyway, as Natasha Romanoff sat on one of his stools while drinking a soda she had stolen from the fridge.

“I wasn’t expecting visitors.” Tony addressed her, walking over to the pantry and grabbing out a box of crackers. “Mostly because Jarvis is suppose to alert me whenever someone enters this house. How did you get in here?”

Natasha took a long sip of her drink before responding. “I’m a spy Tony.” She said, as though that explained everything. “I have my ways.”

“Mhm.” Tony hummed, throwing a handful of crackers into his mouth. He couldn’t help but think that Natasha was study him from where she sat across the room, as her eyes seemed to stare into his soul. She was definitely a force to be reckoned with.

“Then let me rephrase.” Tony continued, swallowing his food. “What are you doing here? In my kitchen?”

Natasha squinted her eyes at him, her soda now completely forgotten. “Fury wanted me to come check on you.” She admitted. “You kind of had a hectic night”\

Tony’s thoughts wandered to Peter, and he could only hope the boy was asleep by now. “Oh I know, Pepper’s going to be reminding me of that for weeks.”, he told her, the memory of their brief kiss passing through his mind. “Why does Fury care so much? He’s already told me I’m a no-go for the Avengers Initiative. So what gives?”

A small smirk tugged at the edge of Natasha lips, as though Tony’s questions amused her. “He’s just concerned is all”, she told him. “Even if you’ve _privatized world peace_ and all that, those suits are still dangerous and he doesn’t want anything getting out of hand.”

Tony scuffed, obviously irritated that Fury had assignment him a babysitter. “Don’t you have like, super secret government buildings to break in to?”, he asked her, as Natasha rolled her eyes. “Why waste your time watching over me?”

Natasha stood up from where she sat and walked over to grab the box of crackers out of Tony’s hand. “I’m not your nanny or anything, I’m actually leaving for New York later tonight.” She informed him. “I’m mostly here to ask you a question.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “And what would that be?” He asked.

“What are you hiding Stark?” Natasha asked bluntly, making Tony recoil in shock.

He backed away from her slight, trying to mask the mix of emotions on his face. “What are you on about?” He asked, trying to sound annoyed. “Why is my business any of your concern.”

As Tony stepped away, Natasha took a step closer. “You’ve been acting weird since I started working for you.” She told him, as Tony’s face fell. “You spend an ungodly amount of time down in your lab, alone I might add. You get all freaky whenever someone comes to your house without them telling you in advance. And then to top it all off, tonight during the midst of the battle, I have reports that you disappeared for a good twenty minutes with no explanation.”

Natasha took a moment to catch her breath before finishing. “So let me ask again. **What are you hiding.** ”

Tony face went from a mixture of panic to rage in only five seconds flat. “Look, I know that your a spy and all.” He told her. “But that gives you no right to go meddling in my personal life. I have reasons for the things I do and I shouldn’t have to explain why to anyone, especially you.” He spat.

A hurt expression flashed across Natasha face, and Tony almost wished he hadn’t been so harsh to her. _Almost_. Much like almost everyone else in his life, she was getting way too close to figuring out about Peter, and Tony couldn’t let that happen. He was still trying to figure out the least illegal way to forge documents, and if Nastasha reported him to Fury it could completely ruin everything they’ve worked towards.

“I’m sorry.” Tony whispered, the words almost feeling foreign on his tongue. “It’s just… it’s been a long day. I think everyone’s a little on edge.”

“Yeah.” Natasha responded, her voice equally as quiet. “Yeah your right. I’m sorry for invading your privacy like that, I guess it’s just… force of habit. I should probably go now.”

She stood up from her stool and made her way towards the exit; Tony subconsciously followed her, wanting to make sure that she actually left and didn’t go hide out in his vents or something. And when they got to the door she turned towards him before leaving.

“Just for the record.” She told him, looking almost sad. “I think you would have been perfect fit for the Avenger Initiative.”

And just like that she was gone, leaving Tony alone with only the houses silence and his own thoughts to keep him company. He made his way towards the lab to check on Peter, because even though he could just asked Jarvis if he had fallen asleep yet, it comforted him to see the boy safe in his own bed.

Silently, he typed in his six digit password and slowly creeped into the lab. Other than a small fan that was continually blowing air in the corner, there were no other sounds that accompanied the room. Tony made it way over to the small corner where Peter’s bed was set up, and slowly pulled back the curtain to reveal the sleeping boy.

With the soft glow coming from the Iron Man night light that was plugged in only a few feet from the bed, Tony was able to see that Peter still had tear tracks staining his cheeks and mask from earlier was tightly grasped in his tiny arms. It broke Tony’s heart to see, but despite he looked peacefully while he slept and a small line of drool was trailing down his chin.

Tony sighed, while wiping away the drool and tears from the boy’s face, before than leaning down and giving Peter a small kiss on the forehead. Even if the kid was in the wrong, he still couldn’t help but feel bad about yelling at him, and decided he would make it up to him in the morning.

But for now, he was exhausted. So he made his way back upstairs to his own room and crashed in his bed almost instantly. The next few week would be spent cleaning up the mess Justin Hammer had created, but for now Tony put that out of his mind and had a peaceful nights rest. Because Peter was asleep and safe and that was all that truly mattered.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Up next:** Coulson


	5. Coulson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter’s small hands reach out and cupped Tony’s face with a gentleness only a child could achieve. “I know you can get rid of the bad things.” He told Tony, his eye’s basically glowing. “You’re Iron Man. You can do anything.”
> 
> Tony was nearly speechless as he continued to stare at the boy. “Nobody can do everything Peter.” He whispered, trying so hard not to break his spirit. “Not even superheros.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I know, I’m terrible at updating. I’ve been working all summer or hanging out with friends so I’ve had minimal time to write. Mix that with the awful writers block that’s seemed to have been plaguing me for the past few months and you’ve got yourself a disaster of an author. 
> 
> The final chapter is already half written so expect that soon!

**5.**

Tony was really starting to hate secret agents, classified missions, and really anything and everything having to do with Shield.

First there was Coulson, who had been a headliner after the initial Iron Man fiasco and had started the whole chain reaction of events. Then Nick Fury had popped into his life with the whole _Avengers Initiative_ and talk of some _bigger universe._ And finally Natalie Rushman (more commonly known as Natasha Romanoff) had decided to masquerade as his personal assistant to spy on him and report back to Fury behind his back.

So Tony decided he had every right to be pissed off when Pepper told him that Agent Coulson would be coming over later that day to ask him a few questions about both the Iron Man suit and the failed garbage pile that was the Stark Expo. All he wanted was to lock himself in his lab for days on end and hang out with his alien kid. Was that so much to ask for?

Apparently, because no matter how hard he fought and insisted, Pepper told him with a firm voice that he needed to act like an adult for once in his life and take responsibility for his actions. Then she had given him a quick kiss on the lips and left to attend whatever meeting she was already late for. Her schedule had gotten exponentially busier ever since he’d appointed her CEO, and as much as it sucked to not constantly have her around he didn’t regret it at all.

After the Stark Expo, Peter hadn’t tried to leave the lab again and was still weary to even bring the subject to light. It broke Tony’s heart but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little bit relieved. He had absolutely no idea how he was going to get Peter documents or explain to the people in his life why he suddenly obtained a child. Every solution he came up with lead to a dead end and he was quickly running out of options.

“Sir.” Jarvis’s voice rang throughout the lab. “Agent Coulson will be here soon, may I suggest getting your affairs in order?”

Peter, who was seated over on the couch, looked over at him with a confused expression. _Winnie the Pooh_ , his favorite Disney movie as of late, was still droning on in the background and the bag of carrots he had been munching on lay forgotten in his lap. He was also wearing one of Tony’s old band t-shirts that was incredible too large on his and fell past his knees, making it almost seem like he was wearing a nightgown.

“Who’s that?” Peter asked, unfamiliar with the name. “Is he friends with Ms. Potts?”

Per Jarvis’s advice, Tony started cleaning off his workbench and pulling out schematics and documents Pepper said Coulson might want to see. “Not exactly.” He responded, passing off a pile of papers to Dum-E. “But they do know each other, and he needs to talk to me about a few things.”

Peter stood up from the futon, his socked feet making no sound as he walked across the tile and picked up a few papers that Dum-E had dropped in his haste. “Is he good.” He asked, passing the papers to Tony.

“Yeah kid.” Tony replied, staring down at Peter foundly. “He is.”

Peter looked like he was about to say something else, but Jarvis interrupted. “Sir.” His british voice bounced off every wall. “Agent Coulson has pulled into the driveway, I would suggest going to meet him sooner rather than later.”

Sighing, Tony looked down at Peter again who looked disappointed at the fact that he had to leave. “You know the rules kiddo.” He told the young boy while ruffling his hair. “No leaving and no noise. I’ll get this over with as quickly as possible and come back down here, I promise.”

And with that, Tony gathered up every he needed into his arms and took off up the lab stairs. Even though the lab was mostly sound proof, Peter still opted to turn off the TV and divert his attention to the new chemistry book Tony had bought him last week, hoping that if he focused on reading the man would return sooner

* * *

“Tony it’s a simple request, please.” Coulson begged him for the millionth, as the pair wandered throughout the mansion’s many hallways. “It would take ten minutes tops, and then I would be out of your hair for good.”

“The answers still no.” Tony told him, making his way to the kitchen to more himself a drink. “My lab is off limits to everybody except _me._ I can get you whatever blueprints or prototypes you want, but I can’t allow you or any other agents down there.”

The meeting had taken a turn for the worse. It had started out fine, with Coulson looking over some of the Iron Man armor schematics and asking questions about how the Stark Expo cleanup was going. He had also updated Tony on the investigation that Shield was doing on Hammer Industries and showed him some of the documents they had recovered from the scene.

But then he had mentioned how Fury wanted him to inspect the lab, and Tony knew instantly that there was no way that was happening.

Ever since the Pepper incident all those months ago, the lab has been on complete lockdown for everyone except Tony. He made it so Jarvis would alert him if any even got close to the staircase, and reset all the passwords so only he knew the one to get in.

It pissed Rhodey and Pepper off to no end, but he knew he couldn’t risk them walking in and finding out about Peter. Not at the point anyway.

“Tony please.” Coulson said again, making Tony subtly roll his eyes. “If you don’t let me I’m going to have to get Director Fury involved, and I don’t think either of us want that.”

That caught Tony’s attention. “And what would he do?” He asked, taking a long sip from his drink. “I’m sorry Coulson, but for the foreseeable future I am the only one who will be coming and going from that lab. And that’s final.”

Agent Coulson’s face was slack and unreadable, as he seemed to accept his defeat. “Fine.” He responded curtly. “I guess then this is all I need. Thank you again for agreeing to meet with me Mr. Stark, we will have someone send you a full report once we finish the Hammer investigation.”

The man picked up his briefcase and walked over to Tony to shake his hand, before turning and exiting the house. As soon as he heard the door close, Tony immediately turned back towards his drink and downed the whole thing before putting his head down onto the counter in defeat. A loud groan escaped his mouth and the pounding in his heart refused to cease, no matter how many times he told himself that Peter was safe.

Quickly rinsing out his cup, Tony made his way back towards the lab and dreaded having to look Peter in his innocent, brown eyes. How could he ever tell the boy, who depended on him for food and clothes and trusted him to keep him safe no matter what, that he was running out of ways to protect him? That people were getting too close and they were running out of options?

He typed in his passcode, and the second the door opened Peter was already running towards him. The boy had changed out of the large t-shirt and into a set of space theme pajamas that Tony had bought him as a joke. He also had the remnants of a fruit pop on his lips and around his face.

“Hey kiddo.” Tony whispered, a forced smile on his lips.

“What happened?” Peter asked, looking up at his face in concern. “You’re sad.”

“Yeah… I really am buddy.” He told Peter, and that's when the dam broke. He couldn’t stop himself as tears slowly started falling down his face and the stress of the past few weeks finally caught up to him. He had bottled up everything, from almost losing Peter at the Expo to Coulson's visit, and now he was paying for it.

Small arms made their way around his waist, and Tony quickly realized that Peter was giving him a hug. “It’s ok Tony.” He told him, his face pressed up against Tony’s shirt. “Sometimes I get sad too.”

Tony knew he had to tell him, this precious child had trusted him since day one and he deserved to know what was going on. Against his better judgement, he gently pulled away from the hug and got down on his knees so he was face to face with Peter.

Peter smiled at him, which was a sight that made Tony want to cry more. “I’m sorry you had to see that.” He told Peter, placing a hand on the boys shoulder. “It’s just that, there’s a lot of bad things happening right now and… I don’t know what to do about them.”

Peter’s small hands reach out and cupped Tony’s face with a gentleness only a child could achieve. “I know you can get rid of the bad things.” He told Tony, his eye’s basically glowing. “You’re Iron Man. You can do _anything_.”

Tony was nearly speechless as he continued to stare at the boy. “Nobody can do everything Peter.” He whispered, trying so hard not to break his spirit. “Not even superheros.”

Peter’s face fell, which made Tony feel like the worst person in the entire world. He expected the boy to burst into tears or start yelling at him, but he only ran over to is bed where his Iron Man helmet from the Expo still sat. Much to Tony’s confusion.

He picked up the helmet, and quickly ran his hand over the cheap plastic before bringing it back over to Tony and placing it into the man's hands. “ **You** are Iron Man.” He said with more emphasis. “Nobody else, only you.”

Without thinking, Tony raised the mask up towards his face so that now they were eye level. Just from looking at it, he could see all the inaccuracies the toy company made while producing these. The eye’s were too spaced apart and the shade of red it was colored was _way_ to dark, but despite it’s mistake it was still him. It was still Iron Man.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He finally replied, smiling down at a very proud looking Peter. “I am Iron Man.”

And he was going to fix this, no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Up next:** ???


	6. Nick Fury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter turned around to look up at Tony, his eyes filled with hope that neither of them had seen in a very long while. “This is our chance.” He whispered, pulling at the older man's arm. “I can be a real person now.”
> 
> For the first time since he had walked into the lab, Tony smiled down at the boy in his arms. “You’ve always been a real person Pete. With or without some stupid words on paper.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is. The 4500+ word finale.

“Come on Pep.” Tony begged into the phone that was held up to his ear. “I made you CEO so I wouldn’t have to do stuff like this anymore. I can’t just drop everything I’m working on right now and fly to Europe.” 

The other line went quiet for a minute, and Tony could only pray that Pepper was starting to give in. “Tony please.” She replied, her voice tense with stress. “It’s only for three days. I’m sure whatever you’ve been so focused on these past few months can wait. This meeting is essential if we want to even  _think_ about expanding the new technical branch internationally. You know that.”

“Yeah. Yeah I do.” Tony finally responded, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Ok fine, give me twenty-four house to get all my stuff in order. I can be ready to leave by tomorrow night by the earliest. No compromises.” 

Pepper let out an audible sigh of relief, and Tony almost felt bad for making her life harder than it already was. “Thank you.” She told him, her voice getting more relaxed. “I know it’s last minute, but I have way too much stuff that needs to be finished up here. This was just the easiest way to make everyone happy.”

 _Not everyone,_ Tony thought to himself. “Will you at least see me off?” He asked, trying not to think about how distressed Peter would be when he told him he was going to be gone for three days. 

Pepper’s laugh filled his ear, and he couldn’t help but smile. “Well if you insist.” She teased, the tense atmosphere of the conversation dissipating. “I love you, and I’ll see you tomorrow at six pm  _sharp_.”

“Ok ok, I love you too.” He replied, before ending the call and letting the smile on his face drop. He put the phone into his backpack and started mindless pacing back and forth in his office; a million thoughts running through his head.

The longest Peter had ever gone without seeing Tony, was around sixteen hours. It had been a long day of meetings and business deals, and he hadn’t even noticed he’d been gone that long until he had returned to the lab to find Peter curled up in a ball in the corner of the lab. He had been crying, and upon seeing Tony had launched himself into the man’s arms. 

He had thought Tony had been dead, Jarvis later informed him. Apparently it was the only conclusion his little mind could wrap his head around and he had been so convinced of it that he had started packing up his belongings into a small knapsack Tony always kept in the lab. The things he had deemed necessary to bring were: two changes of clothes, a bag of Cheetos, and two Iron Man themed juice boxes. He had also thrown in a coloring book and a small screwdriver Tony had gifted to him.

It had been heartbreaking to see, and after that Tony vowed to never leave him alone for more than twelve hours at a time ever again. Well, until now. 

“Jarvis.” Tony told the AI while exiting his office. “I need you to order a few things for me.” 

“Of course sir.” Jarvis replied, as Tony made his way towards the lab. “What is it you require?.” 

Tony hesitated for a moment, compiling a mental list of everything he would need the AI to get. “First I’ll need a phone, one of those burner ones that are hard to track and mind numbingly easy to use. I’ll also need a short range weapon of some sort, like a taser gun or tranquilizer. Just make sure it can only delay or harm whoever it’s aimed at, and not kill them.” 

Tony paused for a second, as a docket of other items started running through his head. “And three days worth of food, I don’t care what just pick some of Pete’s favorites. Also, make sure there’s enough to keep up with his wild eating habits.” 

Once he had finished talking to Jarvis, Tony quickly ran down the lab steps and typed in his six digit pass code into the keypad. He trusted Jarvis to get the fastest shipping possible and he was almost certain that a box containing all his goodies would be arriving within the next few hours. However, before they got to the house, Tony had to have a very serious conversations with Peter. 

The boy was seated at one of the many work benches, pouring over a dusty copy of  _The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe_ that Tony had found in the back of his closet. One child could only read so many math and science books before needing a break, and Peter had instantly been intrigued in the fictional world. 

His head perked up at the sound of the door opening, and a large smile broke out on his face when his eyes met Tony’s. “You’re back!” He exclaimed, happy to see him despite the fact that the man had only been upstairs for a little over two hours. “Look look, I’m almost finished!” 

Peter jumped off the stool he had been sitting on and ran over to Tony to show him how far he’d gotten in the book. He had been using a little scrap of red paper as a bookmark, and indeed it was only a few pages away from reaching the end. It was fairly impressive considering the boy had only had the book for a little over a day.

“That’s awesome buddy.” Tony told him, ruffling his unruly curls. “But do you think you could put the book down for a few minutes? There’s something really important that I need to talk to you about. I promise once we’re finished you can read all you want.”

Peter looked confused for a minute, but then nodded his head and went to go put the book down on the couch. “Is everything ok Tony?” He asked, his face laced with concerned. “You’re not sad again, right?” 

Tony let out a quiet chuckle, his heart warming at the boys concern. “No I’m ok.” He reassured Peter. “This has to do with my… work. You remember Ms. Potts right?” 

Peter quickly nodded his head. “She was the one with the clicky shoes.” He recalled, making Tony laugh harder. 

“Yeah, she's the one kiddo.” He replied. “Well sometimes she goes on trips for our business, but this week she's really busy and won’t be able to make it.” 

Peter seemed to be listening intently, as both of them wandered over to the couch so they could sit down. Tony hesitated for a moment, unsure how to phrase his next sentence without worrying the boy or freaking him out.

“So, since she can’t go,” Tony continued. “She wants me to go on the trip for her, which means that I’m going to be gone for a few days.” 

Peter stayed silent, as he processed that everything Tony had just said. “You’re… leaving?” He finally asked, sounding more bewildered than anything. 

Tony slowly nodded his head, as the reality of his words finally set in for Peter. “It will only be for three days, and I have a box coming in the mail full of fun stuff that I’m sure will keep you safe and fed while you’re here alone. That and Jarvis will always be here if you need anything.”

Peter pulled his legs up towards his chest and rested his chin on his knees. Tony could tell he was trying not to cry and be strong for his own sake, but the tears glistening in his eyes gave it away. Jarvis had unofficially diagnosed Peter with separation anxiety shortly after his breakdown over Tony’s absence, so with all things considered he was doing fairly well so far. 

“Ok Tony.” Peter told him, his bottom lip quivering slightly. “I trust you.” 

Tony smiled at the boy, pulling him into a tight side hug as they continued to lounge on the couch. 

Only two hours later, Jarvis informed the pair that a package had arrived and was sitting on the front porch waiting to be collected. Peter was contently situated in Tony’s arms, and only complained a little when the man stood up to go retrieve the box. 

“Woah.” Peter whispered, as Tony returned with the delivery that was at least two times bigger than him. “That’s a lot of stuff.” 

Tony laughed as a reply, and placed the huge box onto one of the work benches. “Well I don’t know if you know this champ.” He told Peter, grabbing a random screwdriver to cut open the tape. “But you eat  _a lot._ I can’t have you going hungry while I’m gone, now can I?” 

A mischievous smile lit up Peter’s face as he jumped onto one of the stools to get a look into the box. “Pop-Tarts!” He gasped, grabbing at the bright colored box. “Blueberry! _And_ raspberry!” 

While Peter was preoccupied with all the food Jarvis had gotten him, Tony grabbed out the burner phone he had ordered and a small box that contained a miniature taser. Just like he’d asked, the weapon wasn’t fatal but it could definitely pack a punch if the occasion called for it. He hoped that Peter would never find himself in a situation where he would need to use it, but he was better safe than sorry. 

“Tony look!” Peter shouted, pulling another bag out of the box. “Gummy bears!” 

The boy was basically vibrating on his feet and Tony was thankful that at least he wouldn’t be here when Peter overindulged himself on the sweets. “Put those away and come over her for a second.” Tony smiled, as the boy packed up all his new treasures. “I have some things that I need to show you.” 

Peter threw both the gummy bears and Pop-Tarts back into the box and scurried over to where Tony was standing. Jarvis had been smart, and along with the phone and taser he had also bought a cellular plan that would last the entire month. Which was something Tony never would have thought of. 

“This is a phone.” He told Peter, placing the device in his hands. “I know you’ve seen me use mine before, but this one is for you. It has my number in it, so if for some reason you ever need to contact me you can. I’ll also be using it to check up on you every night before I go to bed while I’m away.” 

Peter was fascinated with the machine, clicking through all the ringtones, wallpapers, and emojis the thirty dollar phone had to offer. Maybe after he got back, Tony would buy him a real phone. One with games and a camera that didn’t look like shit. But for now they had to focus on this one.

“There’s one more thing.” Tony continued, carefully pulling the gun from the box. “This is a taser. I bought you this for emergencies  **only**. It is a weapon and can hurt people really bad when you use it on them, so I need you to promise me that you’ll only use it if there’s no other option.” 

The boy hesitated for a second, obviously a lot more apprehensive about the taser gun then he was about the phone. Nevertheless, he slowly held out his hand and allowed Tony to gently place the weapon into it. It felt too heavy in his hands, but Peter was thankful he would have something to protect himself with if he ever found himself in a bad situation. Even if he wasn’t happy about it.

“I’ll teach you how to use it before I leave.” Tony told him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You just need to remember that a weapon is only as powerful as the person who wields it. You don’t have to be afraid of it as long as you know how to use it and understand that it can’t hurt you if you don’t let it.” 

Peter nodded his head, wanting to show Tony that he understood and was confident that would be able to survive these few days alone. With his phone clutched in one hand and the taser in the other, the pair spent the entire night learning how to make calls, send text messages, and shoot at dummies and various other items Tony had left scattered around the lab. All while pigging out on blueberry Pop-Tarts and gummy bears.

The next afternoon, Tony gave Peter a tight hug and a kiss on the forehead before gathering up his bags and walking towards the exit. “I love you buddy.” He told the small boy, giving him a weak smile. “I’ll be back before you know it.” 

And with that he was gone.

* * *

 

Tony decided around hour two of being in whatever insignificant European city the private jet had taken him too, that there was no place he would rather  _not_ be.  

Almost as soon as the plane touched down the runway, he was whisked off to some pointless meeting with the head of a company he had never heard of. And that’s how most of the trip went. He would wake up, go to meeting after meeting, and then go to sleep. There was the occasional bathroom break or dinner thrown in there, but mostly it was nonstop business.

The only silver lining of the whole trip was the multiple text messages he received from Peter and the phone conversation they would have whenever Tony could find time. He would also get occasional calls from Pepper who was checking in to make sure he made it to all of the scheduled meetings and wasn’t bailing out on what he’d gone there to do.

The conversations he had with the two of them were the only thing that kept Tony from going completely insane during those three days, and before he even knew it he had finished the last meeting of the trip and would be heading home the next morning. 

“Thank you for attending on such short notice Mr. Stark.” One of the executives from the company he had been meeting with told him. “We heard you have been quite busy as of recent, so it speaks volumes that you were to find time to talk with us.” 

“Yes, well I hope you consider our proposal.” Tony told the man, as he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. “I would love for Stark Industries to have a bigger presence out here in Europe and I believe your company is the key to that.” 

The two men shook hands before parting ways, and as soon as he was alone Tony pulled out his phone to check who had texted him. Just as he suspected, Peter’s name flashed across his screen along with the short message he had sent. 

 _I miss you!!!!!!!!_ It read, and Tony couldn’t help but laugh at the insane amount of exclamation marks Peter always insisted on using. 

 _I miss you too._ Tony replied, trying not to think about how long Peter has been alone in that basement.  _My plane leaves tomorrow morning, so I should be home by dinner. If I have time I’ll stop somewhere to grab some food!_

All he got in response to that was a bunch of smiley face emojis along with a few hearts. After eating nothing but junk food for the past few days, Peter was probably dying for something fresh and not processed. Tony made a mental note to also pick up some fruit as well and some kind of form of protein. Those were the two food groups kids needed, right?

The entire plane ride home Tony felt… off, for lack of a better term. He wasn’t sure if it was just the eggs and pancakes he had for breakfast or the jet’s constant turbulence, but an ominous feeling had settled in the gut of his stomach and refused to go away. No amount of dramamine would help and per Happy’s suggestion, who had drugingly tagged along on the trip, Tony slept the majority of the ride back to the states. 

Finally they landed back in Malibu and Tony was off that plane as soon as the doors were able to be opened. That anxious feeling still remained, but now that he was no longer thousands of feet in the air it lightened slightly. It was possible that he was just missing Peter so much it was causing him actual pain. 

Him and Happy ran through the Burger King drive-thru, before he was dropped off in front of the mansion with his food and suitcases in hand. “Hey Jarvis.” He said while walking through the front doors and placing his bags to the side. He quietly waited for the AI to give a witty reply, but when no response came he stopped dead in his tracks. 

“Jarvis?” Tony asked again, hoping that he just hadn’t heard him. “Hello? Anyone there?” 

When the house remained silent after that, Tony could physically feel his heart drop to his chest. The only times Jarvis didn’t respond was when he was down for repairs, and considering Tony was the only one who knew how to properly turn him off, that was severely alarming.  

Without thinking, Tony bolted for the lab. Not caring about his suitcases and bags anymore. “ **Jarvis**  .” He screamed, begging for any type of reply. “  **Answer me GOD DAMN IT this isn’t funny**.” 

He took the downwards steps two at a time, nearly falling flat on his face more than once and definitely scuffing his brand new dress shoes on the white tile. Not fast enough did he make it to the lab door, and he somehow still managed to get his password right while frantically typing in the six digits with a shaken hand. 

“Peter?” Tony called out, frantically looking around for the small boy. He wasn’t by any of the suits and all the workbenches were clear of any sign on him. He could faintly register that the TV was still on in the corner of the room, but before he could even think about looking over there the sound of a person talking broke the silence.

“So nice of you too finally join us, Stark.” An all to familiar voice responded, and Tony look over towards the sofa area where he came face-to-face with the one eyed wonder himself; Nick Fury. Who was relaxing on  _his_ futon with Peter sitting next to him, munching on Chez-Its and watching Blue’s Clues. 

“Tony!” The boy screeched as soon as he saw the man, dropping the box he had been holding and running over to him. “You’re home!”

Little arms made their way around his waist, and Tony protective held the boy closer to his chest while not breaking eye contact with Fury. “What the hell is going on here?” He asked, momentarily forgetting about his unspoken rule not to swear in front of Peter. “What makes you think you can break into my house and disable my AI? I can have you arrested for this.”

Nick stood up as well, his black trench coat billowing behind him. “You’re not going to call the police on me.” He started, making Tony furrow his brow in anger. “After I got conflicting reports from both Romanoff and Coulson  _and_ after you refused to let my men down here I had an inkling you might be harboring some huge secret down here. Maybe a weapon or machine, so I thought I better check it out for myself. You can imagine my surprise when I found an eight year old boy with a taser instead.” 

Tony could feel the boy tense up beside him and he wrapped his skinny arms tighter around his torso. “I’m sorry.” Peter mumbled into the fabric of his shirt. “Jarvis stopped working, and he seemed nice so I didn’t want to tase him. I invited him to watch Blue’s Clues instead.” 

Fury was leaning against the sofa, his arms crossed and a knowing glint in his eye. “I’m going to make a wild accusation here and assume that Peter isn’t from around here.” He concluded, while walking closer to the pair. “Based on the fact that I can find zero documentation on him and that he is living off of sweets in your basement, am I correct to believe this Stark?” 

“You find a random kid in my lab and the first thing your mind jumps to is aliens?” Tony asked, repositioning Peter so his back was flesh against his chest. “I would think a million other scenarios would run through your head before you would even think about landing on that one.” 

Fury let out a soft chuckle, his one eye quickly darting between the two of them. “Let’s just say this isn’t my first rodeo.” He replied, which instantly caught Peter’s attention. “I’ve dabbled in the unknown before and even got the scars to prove it, and because of that I am going to be gracious enough to help you resolve this little issue you have going here.” 

Peter’s eyes instantly lit up. “Can you help us get papers?” He asked, repeating the phrase Tony had said so many times in the past few months. “Like documents and important stuff that all people need?”

“Yes, I would say I can.” Fury told the boy, who was now basically shaking with anticipation. “I can have a birth certificate and social security card ready by the end of the week. A long with a convincing cover story and explanation as you why you suddenly came into custody of a child. I’m thinking  _Peter Anthony Stark,_ your illegitimate son who you recently connected with.” 

“Why would I need three names?” Peter asked, confused. But his question was overshadowed by Fury who continued to talk. 

“Your past is helping us on this one Stark.” He told him, as Tony gave him an unconvinced glare. “This goes so much deeper than a metal suit, so for your sake and his you need to stick to the note cards for this one. My people will do the rest.” 

Even Peter could sense the tense energy in the room, as he looked between the two men who refused to break eye contact. “And what’s in it for you?’ Tony asked him, failing to believe he would do this out of the goodness of his heart. “What do you gain from helping us?” 

Fury tilted his head slightly, almost looking amused at Tony’s question.”Even if you didn’t exactly qualify for the Avengers Initiative, you are still incredibly useful.” He told him, as the man continued to glare at him. “I have seen what’s out there, and let me tell you we are lucky to have gotten Peter instead of some other hostile race bent on destroying us. Who knows who will show up next time.” 

Peter visibly flinched at his words, but Fury continued to talk anyway. “If and when there comes a time when we’ll need to defend ourselves, were going to need all the help it can get. A team of some sort.” He admitted, his face sullen. “So by doing this for you two, I want your word that you’ll be there if the situation ever calls for it.” 

Peter turned around to look up at Tony, his eyes filled with hope that neither of them had seen in a very long while. “This is our chance.” He whispered, pulling at the older man's arm. “I can be a real person now.”

For the first time since he had walked into the lab, Tony smiled down at the boy in his arms. “You’ve always been a real person Pete. With or without some stupid words on paper.” He closed his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath before addressing Fury. “Fine then, I guess you have a deal.” 

He held out his hand from the other man to shake, much like he’d been doing the past few days at all those business meetings he had been forced to attention. However, out of every conference and convention that he’d ever been to, this was the biggest transaction of Tony’s entire life. Of both of their lives.

“It’s been a pleasure doing business with you Stark.” Fury replied, reaching out to grasp the other man's hand. And somehow, in that moment, Tony knew that things would never be the same again after this. 

But they’d be better, now that Peter could officially be apart of his life. No matter what came next it would all be worth it.

* * *

 

A little under a week later, a small envelope containing a birth certificate and social security card arrived in the mansions mail box. It had no address written on it, only the shield logo and the name  _Stark_ written out in neat handwriting.  

Only a day later, Tony help Peter haul all of his belongings back up the lab steps and into the spare guest room that sat across the hall from the master bedroom. The futon was returned to its former place of glory in the living room and the lab’s passcode was finally reverted back to its original six numbers.  

Jarvis was back up and running after his little scuttle with Fury, and Peter was absolutely amazed that no matter where he went in the house he would be able to contact the AI. He was also confounded at the sheer size of mansion, clearly not grasping how large it had been during his first night there. His favorite hobby was to run through the halls and slide down the staircases extravagant banister, which Tony always had Jarvis take pictures of and save video recordings to his personal file. 

Peter also loved to sit at the windowsill and watch the seagulls that would always congregate near the pool, pointing them out to Tony and giving them wacky names before they would fly away. He would spend hours staring out at the ocean and attempting to draw replicas of it onto blank sheets of white paper, taping his results to an ever growing collection of handmade drawings that filled one of the living room walls.

Random toys and Lego sets that Tony had order covered nearly every inch of the house, and the beer and whiskey that previously occupied the fridge was replaced with juice boxes and fresh fruits. Jarvis no longer had to assist randoms lady’s out of the mansion at the crack of dawn, but he did often find himself helping Peter with math problems that he didn’t understand and doing his best to keep people off the property. 

Even so, it was only a matter of time before Pepper decided to pay a visit. 

“Tony?” She called into the empty foyer, not even noticing the small pair of sneakers that sat next to the front door. “I have paperwork I need you to sign and I know you’ve been avoiding my phone calls. I thought I’d come by to make sure you’re not dead.”

Tony appear from the kitchen, a dishcloth haphazardly thrown over his shoulder. “Hey Pep.” He greeted, a nervous smile on his lips. “What brings you here?” 

She held the small stack of paper’s out in front of her, giving Tony a clear view of them. “You can only let my calls go to voicemail so many times before I get suspicious.” 

Pepper started walking towards the living room, but quickly stopped when she heard Tony’s loud protests behind here. “Wait!” He called, his voice laced with panic. “Why don’t we do that in the… kitchen.” 

Tony tried to send her an unconvincing grin, but Pepper just squinted her eyes and him and continued in the direction she had been heading. Much to Tony’s dismay. Upon arriving in the living room, nothing screamed unusual to her at first glance. But then she noticed that the missing futon had been returned, and her eye’s slowly filtered over to the wall of crayon drawings and the multiple lego sets that sat on the coffee table. 

“What the?” She whispered, the paper’s in her hands completely forgotten. “What is this Tony? Are you running a daycare in here or something?” 

Tony sighed, resigning to his fate and deciding it would be best to just tell her about Pete instead of trying to keep it as some big secret. “Um well,” He started, trying not to sink under her glare. “There’s something really important I’ve been meaning to talk to you about, I just haven’t been sure how to tell you yet .” 

Almost as if on cue, the sound of little feet on the wood floor came from upstairs as Peter made his way down towards the living room. He stopped at the bottom step as his eyes fluttered from Tony to Pepper, looking more confused than anything. 

“Pepper.” Tony broke the uncomfortable silence, as she continued to stare at the young boy. “This is my son, Peter.” 

He must have recognized her name, because realization filled Peter’s eyes as he stared at Ms. Potts. “Hi!” He greeted her, full of energy and happy to finally meet the woman Tony always talked about. “I’m Peter.” 

Pepper sank down onto one of the sofas, the papers still tightly clutched in her hands. “Oh Tony.” She said, a small smile playing at her lips. “What have you gotten yourself into this time?”

_fin_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a long one. I just started writing and writing and then I couldn't stop. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this story. I excited to see where the future of this AU goes, because I've got lots of great things planned for Tony and Peter. 
> 
> **Next Story:** ???


	7. Bonus Art

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here a little doodle of bby Peter and his taser that drew with the intent of putting in the last chapter, but DeviantArt was acting up so I couldn't. I still wanted to include it in the story, so here you go! It's not amazing or anything, but I'm proud of it and I would love to make more art for future stories!
> 
> Thank you again for reading!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This version of the picture came out a little blurry since I had to resize it to fit in the story, but if you'd like to see the full sized version of it you can on my DeviantArt (Ellie-Elizabeth, same as my username here).


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